Date of Graduation

Spring 2014

Degree

Master of Science in Education in Secondary Education in Mathematics

Department

Mathematics

Committee Chair

Linda Plymate

Abstract

Note-taking and binder-keeping seem to be essential skills for beginning level mathematics students to learn in order to help their overall achievement in their current and in future mathematics courses. An action research study was conducted in a southwest Missouri high school in four different Algebra I classes and an additional three Algebra I classes from the previous year's pilot study. All of the classes were taught in such a way to encourage and promote high quality note-taking, as well as immersing students in a classroom environment in which students had some control over their own learning by being vocal about what things helped and what things could be improved. The following research questions were addressed: What are student attitudes towards note-taking? What note-taking uses are perceived to support mathematics learning? Do student perceptions of note-taking link with student achievement? Is note-taking continuing in future mathematics courses? Overall, it was found that students involved in the study believed note-taking to be very important and were able to convey many ways in which notes and keeping a mathematics binder were useful. The majority of students, when surveyed, planned to continue taking notes in their future mathematics courses as well. There was statistically significant data to show that there is a link between students' perceived benefits of note-taking to improve their mathematics comprehension and grade with their actual achievement in class.

Keywords

note-taking, mathematics, secondary mathematics, algebra I, mathematics binder, action research

Subject Categories

Science and Mathematics Education

Copyright

© Lindsey July Erickson

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